Democrats push returning overseas jobs to N.Y.

WASHINGTON – Can congressional Democrats devise an incentive to get New York employers to bring overseas jobs back to the state?

Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer highlighted legislation Wednesday that he predicted companies such as General Electric could use to reverse the trend of layoffs caused by foreign competition.

More than 13,500 workers at 139 companies in New York who lost their jobs from 2008 to 2012 received federal Trade Adjustment Assistance because their jobs were moved overseas or eliminated due to foreign competition.

Those layoffs occurred at companies such as IBM in Poughkeepsie, Armonk and Endicott; Verizon Business Network Services in Rye Brook; Emerson Power Transmission in Ithaca; PSB Limited in Rochester and HCL America in Webster.

Schumer said those layoffs reflect just a fraction of the true job losses to overseas competition.

Schumer said legislation the Senate will consider next week would encourage employers to bring jobs in manufacturing and other industries back to the U.S. with a 20 percent tax credit to cover the cost of bringing back a production line or business.

In addition, tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas would be eliminated.

"According to a 2013 survey by the Boston Consulting Group, 54 percent of American manufacturers with sales greater than $1 billion who produce goods in China were planning to bring some or all of the production back to the United States," he said.

Rising overseas labor and energy costs are among the reasons, Schumer said.

"What we are doing here is changing our tax policies to close the deal, to give the final push so that these companies make a decision to relocate jobs back to New York," he said.

The bill is among a list of legislative proposals congressional Democrats are promising voters in their effort to win back the House of Representatives and keep majority control of the Senate.

House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled their "Middle Class Jumpstart" agenda of legislation they would vote on during the first 100 days of the next Congress if they win a majority.

To do that, they would need a net increase of 17 seats. The "Bring Jobs Back Home" bill highlighted by Schumer is part of the House package.

Senate Democrats last week unveiled an almost identical "Fair Shot for Everyone" agenda that includes measures blocked by Senate Republicans, such as raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

Rep. Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the package of proposals should resonate with New York voters because it focuses on helping middle-income households with better jobs and better pay.

"Middle-class economic security is the defining issue," he said.

Eight of the state's 27 House districts have competitive races, Israel said.